Splash prevention means in container filling machine



c. E. KERR June 8, 1954 SPLASH PREVENTION MEANS IN CONTAINER FILLINGMACHINE Filed Dec. 27, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 u. mm

P N J ATTORNEY June 1954 c. E. KERR I 2,680,552

SPLASH PREVENTION MEANS IN CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 2'7,194a 2 sneus sheez 2 -F 15; El

CHARLES E. KERR ATTORNEY Patented June 8, 1954 SPLASH PREVENTION MEAN 8-IN CON- TAINER FILLING MACHINE Charles E. Kerr, Hoopeston, Ill.,assignor to Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, San Jose, Calif., acorporation of Delaware Application December 27, 1948, Serial No. 67,428

7 Claims.

1 The present invention relates to container filling machines of thetype which comprise usually a first section adapted to fill measuredquantities of a preserving liquid, such as brine or syrup, into thecontainers, and a second section adapted to deposit measured quantitiesof the food product to be preserved, into said containers. In operatingmachines of this type, it has been found that, when the solid orsemi-solid food product is dropped into the containers, some of theliquid previously delivered thereinto may be splashed over the rim ofthe containers. The amount of liquid thus wasted is usually smallbutmay, in time, add up to an appreciable loss of material, and it isgenerally large enough to run down the outside of the containers anddrop onto the machine parts underneath, Where it creates unsanitaryconditions that require special cleaning operations.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container fillingmachine which is arranged to prevent splashing of the preserving liquidover the sides of the containers as it discharges solid or semi-solidfood products into said containers.

Another object of this invention is to provide means, in containerfilling machines of the type referred to, adapted to place the open endof the containers so closely to the discharge end of thefood-product-dispensing means during the filling operation, that thereis no possibility for liquid to splash out of and spill over the Wallsof the containers. as the food product is discharged into theirinteriors.

Machines of the type discussed hereinbefore may be arranged to vibratethe containers, as they travel through the machine, in order that aircluded under the food product may have a chance to escape and that saidfood product may properlysettle in the containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide a splash-preventingarrangement, of the type.

referred to, that is applicable to container filling machines, whetherthey employ stationary or vibratory container tracks.

Furthermore, it is an object of my invention to provide means, of thetype referred to, which combine extreme simplicity of construction witheffectiveness in performance and dependability of operation.

preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective of a container filling machine comprising abrine-dispensing section and a 2 i food-product-dispensing section, bothof the turret type.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the container track of thefoodproduct-dispensing machine section.

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of the track sector shown inFig. 2 and the food-product-dispensing funnels above'said track sector,viewed from the center of the turret, as indicated by the arrows 33 inFig. 2.

Referring first to Fig. 1, A denotes a filling station adapted todeliver measured quantities of a preserving liquid, such as brine, intoeach of a continuous procession of containers passed through saidstation. Such filling stations are usually termed briners and are wellknown in the art so that it is unnecessary to describe them in detail.Suffice it to say, that they usually comprise a stationary table ll] ofcircular shape which supports concentrically a rotary wheel ll providedwith a plurality of radially extending impeller arms l2 spaced equalangular intervals apart. Said arms are adapted to engage behind theindividual containers delivered to the station from suitable supplymeans, such as a Worm feed 13; and when the wheel I l is in rotation,they propel said containers in upright condition upon a circular trackformed by a pair of concentrically disposed annular rods I4 and I5 andalong an outer arcuate guide rail 16 which is arranged to confine thecontainers to movement along the circular track. Disposed abovesaidtrack for rotation in unison with the wheel l l isxa circular row offilling funnels ll. Asupply 'pump I8 is arranged to deliver with eachstroke a predetermined quantity of brine through conduit [9 into thesuccessively passing-funnels l! which guide the liquid into thecontainers carried along by the impeller wheel I I. Star wheels 3-13 arearranged to transfer the containers from the table of the brine'r ontothe table20 of a filling station C which is adapted to deliver. measuredamounts of the food product to be preserved into said containers. Saidstation C comprises'a'rotary wheel 2| mounted concentrically upon-thetable 20 and provided with a plurality of radiallyextending impellerarms 22. Said arms 22 engage behind the individual containers in amanner similar to the impeller arms l2 of station A and are arranged topropel the containers upon a pair of concentrically disposed annularrods 23 and 24 along an exteriorly positioned arcuate guide rail 25.Said rods 23, 24, may be rigidly attached to the table 2|] to form astationary track, or they may be hingedly supported from said .table ata selected point of its circumference and rest at a diametricallyopposite point loosely upon the upper end of a pitman (not shown) whichis slidably mounted within the table 20 and is continuously actuated byan eccentric during operation of the machine to vibrate the containertrack.

Disposed concentrically above the table 20 and the wheel 2| is anannular flange or ring 26 containing the contracted lower openings of acircular row of downwardly directed filling funnels 21. Said flange andsaid row of funnels are arranged to rotate in unison with the impellergwheel 2|, with each of the funnels in vertical alignment with one of thepockets formed by consecutive ones of the impeller arms 22. Disposedabove the upper ends of the funnels 21 for rotation in unison therewith,but separated from said funnels by an annular plate forming a stationarypartitioning wall (not visible in the drawings), is a row of adjustablemeasuring pockets 23, one for each of said funnels. A feed hopper 29 ismounted above the rotary path of said measuring pockets, the arrangementbeing such that each of said pockets draws a pre-adjusted amount of thefood product from said hopper as it passes underneath its dischargeopening. A. certain distance beyond the food hopper 23 in the directionof movement of the measuring pockets 23 and their associated funnels 21,the above mentioned stationary partitioning wall is apertured over alimited sector so that the food product contained in the measuringpockets 28 will drop into respective ones of the funnels 21 as saidpockets negotiate said sector, and the funnels in turn will conduct saidfood into the containers traveling underneath. Means are usuallyprovided to prevent the described discharge of the food product from ameasuring pocket into its associated filling funnel unless a containertravels below said funnel.

The flange or ring 26, within which the lower contracted ends of thefilling funnels 21 are situated, has a fiat horizontal bottom surfacewhich is parallel to the track 23, 24 and which is positioned a greaterdistance above said track than the height of the containers for whichthe machine is designed. Hence, when the containers glide along thetrack 23, 24, their open upper ends travel a limited distance below thebottom surface of the ring 26 as illustrated by the container at theright side of Fig. 3. Thus, the containers may unobstructedly followtheir circular course around the center of the station C whether theyare vibrated in the manner described above or remain at a fixed verticallevel.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided at the fooddischarge sector of the machine to raise each of the containersmomentarily in such a manner that its open upper end is placed 'ghtlyagainst the flange 26 around the discharge opening of its associatedfilling funnel 21. For this purpose, an arcuate shoe 30 is arrangedintermediately of the rods 23, 24 of the container track and has acentral horizontal portion 3| which extends at a level above said rods,with its opposite ends bent downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, to form apair of gently inclined ramps 32 and 33 that descend to points below theupper level of the rods 23 and 24. Thus, any containers sliding alongthe track 23, 24, in the direction of the arrows shownin Fig. 3, willleave the track and smoothly ascend the shoe 30 on the ramp 32, andafter having negotiated the horizontal center portion 3| of said shoe,will return to the track on the downwardly inclined ramp 33.

The shoe 30 is mounted upon a pair of studs 35a and 35b that areslidably received in and protrude through apertured bosses 36a and 36b,respectively, which rise from the machine table 20. Rubber collars 31aand 31b are interposed between the plate 30 and the upper ends of thebosses 35a, 36b to resiliently urge said shoe in upward direction, butcheck nuts 38 and 38b engaging the protruding ends of the studs 35a and35b below the table 20 establish a positive limit for the uppermostlevel to which the shoe 30 may rise, so that the edge of the ascendingramp 32 is always maintained safely below the upper level of the trackand thus may never obstruct the progress of the containers. With theshoe 30 in its uppermost position, the level of its horizontal centerportion 3| is arranged to be such that its distance from the annularflange 26 is slightly less than the height of the containers for whichthe machine is designed. Thus, as a container ascends the ramp 32 underthe force of an impeller arm 22, its open upper end moves against theunyielding flange 26. As a result thereof the shoe 30 is forceddownwardly and compresses the rubber collars 31a and b (Figure 3) sothat their resiliency will hold the container tightly against the flange26 with its upper edge placed concentrically around the dischargeopening of its associated funnel 21.

With the traveling container thus temporarily wedged between therevolving flange 2E and the stationary shoe 3B, the contents of ameasuring pocket drop through the funnel into the interior of saidcontainer under conditions that preclude any splashing or spillage ofeither the preserving liquid or the food product; and since the shoe 30holds the container above and out of contact with the track 23, 24, thetight contact between the upper end of the container and the funnelflange 26 can be maintained, even though the container track may be ofthe vibratory type.

The horizontal portion 3| of resilient shoe 30 is so dimensioned as tomaintain the described relation between container and filling funnelover the time required to properly complete the filling operation,whereupon the container will descend the downwardly inclined ramp 33 andresume its position upon the circular track 23, 24.

Hence, in a container filling machine arranged in accordance with thepresent invention, as above described, splasing and resultant spillageof the can contents during the food-productfilling operation areefiectively prevented in an exceedingly simple manner that may bedepended upon whether the container tracks are of the stationary orvibratory type. Thus, there is no waste of material, nor is there anynecessity to frequently interrupt the operation of the machine forcleaning purposes since the main cause for unsanitary conditions hasbeen efiectively eliminated.

While I have explained my invention with the aid of an exemplaryembodiment thereof, it will be understood that I do not wish to belimited to the particular constructional details illustrated anddescribed, which may be departed from without departing from the scopeand spirit of my invention. Thus, instead of mounting all the fillingfunnels upon a common annular plate, as above described, the converginglower ends of the individual filling funnels may each be provided withan outwardly directed annular flange for the upper ends of thecontainers to bear against during the filling operation. Also, it will breadily apparent to those skilled in the art that the necessaryresiliency of the pad may be established in ways other than thosespecifically illustrated and described. Furthermore, my invention is notconfined to container-filling machines of the turret .type, but may beemployed with equal advantage in arrangements, wherein the containerspass through the filling station in a rectilinear procession.

Having thus described my invention and the manner in which it is to beperformed, what I claim is:

1. A container filling machine comprising a track, a filling funneldisposed above said track at a distance larger than the height of thecontainers for which the machine is designed, means for movingcontainers along said track, and downwardly yieldable means independentof said track and movable with relation to said track disposed at apredetermined point of said track to temporarily elevate each containerabove said track.

2. A container filling machine comprising a filling funnel arranged toadvance along a predetermined path, a track disposed below said funnelat a distance greater than the height of the containers for which themachine is designed,

, means for moving a container along said track in vertical alignmentwith said advancing filling funnel, and downwardly yieldable meansindependent of said track and movable with relation to said trackprovided at a predetermined point of said track to momentarily elevatesaid moving container above said track to place its upper end againstthe lower end of the filling funnel.

3. A contactor filling machine comprising a circular row of fillingfunnels, an annular plate containing the lower ends of said fillingfunnels, said plate and said funnels being arranged to rotate about acenter point, a circular track disposed concentrically below saidannular plate at a distance greater than the height of the containersfor which the machine is designed, means for moving containers alongsaid track, each in vertical alignment with one of said rotatingfunnels, and downwardly yieldable means independent of said track andmovable with relation to said track provided at a predetermined point ofsaid track for momentarily elevating said containers in succession abovesaid track and plac their open upper ends into contact with said platearound the open lower ends of their respective funnels.

4. A container filling machine comprising a circular row of fillingfunnels, a horizontal plate containing the lower ends of said funnels,said plate and said funnels being arranged to rotate about their commoncenter point, a track comprising a pair of radially spaced annular rodsdisposed concentrically below said plate at a distance greater than theheight of the containers for which the machine is designed, means formoving containers along said track each in vertical alignment with oneof said funnels, a shoe disposed between said annular rods at apredetermined sector of said track, and means for yieldably maintainingsaid shoe in a position above the level of said annular rods.

5. A container filling machine comprising a circular row of fillingfunnels, an annular flange containing th lower ends of said funnels,said flange and said funnels being arranged to rotate about the centerpoint of said funnel row, a track comprising a pair of radially spacedcircular rods disposed concentrically below said flange at a distancegreater than the height of the containers for which the machine isdesigned, means for moving containers in a procession upon and alongsaid track each in vertical alignment with one of said funnels, ahorizontal plate of limited circumferential length disposedintermediately of said rods at a predetermined sector of said track, andmeans for yieldably urging said plate upwardly in a position wherein itsupper surface is spaced 2. distance from said flange which is shorterthan the height of the said containers for which the machine isdesigned.

. 6. In a container filling machine in combination a container trackcomprising a pair of horizontally spaced rods, means for movingcontainers in a procession upon and along said rods,

a shoe placed between said rods at a selected point of said track, andmeans for yieldably maintaining said shoe above the level of said rods.

7. A container filling machine comprising a row of filling funnelsarranged to advance along a predetermined path and provided with ahorizontal flang at their lower ends, a track including a pair ofhorizontally spaced parallel rods disposed below said flange at adistance greater than the height of the container for which the machineis designed, means for moving a procession of containers along saidtrack in vertical alignment with said filling funnels, a shoe disposedadjacent to said rods at a predetermined point of said track, and meansadapted to yieldably maintain said shoe in a position above the level ofsaid rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 356,122 Hodapp Jan. 18, 1887 1,527,406 Hansen Feb. 24, 19251,533,536 Ayars Apr. 14, 1925 1,537,499 Ayars May 12, 1925 1,626,375Alexanderson Apr. 26, 1927 1,666,931 Hansen Apr. 24, 1928 1,761,383Bergmann June 3, 1930 1,846,827 Ayars Feb. 23, 1932 2,055,075 GardnerSept. 22, 1936 2,152,339 Anderson Mar. 28, 1939 2,225,336 Foster et alDec. 17, 1940 2,261,548 Gridley et al Nov. 4, 1941 2,270,709 PittalugaJan. 20, 1942 2,279,371 Gordon Apr. 14, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 273,038 Great Britain June 30, 1927

